


The Ups and Downs of Pregnancy

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community: comment_fic, Curse What Curse, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Happiness Clause Handwaving, POV Angel (BtVS), Pregnancy, Protective Angel, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 00:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11002602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: "Everything's just tasted off since I got pregnant." She gazed down at her slightly rounded stomach with fond, amused exasperation. "This kid has completely ruined my appetite."





	The Ups and Downs of Pregnancy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "any/any, everything just tastes wrongs since getting pregnant" on comment-fic: http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/813696.html?thread=103343232#t103343232
> 
> Majorly AU. Canon diverged in season 3 to allow these two to get together, and Angel's soul is permanent. Also, Wesley never kidnapped Connor, who is now just over a year old.

  
Cordelia took a bite of her pastrami and Swiss cheese sandwich on rye bread, and then a displeased frown crossed her face. She swallowed the bite she had taken, her nose wrinkling with disgust, and then pushed the plate away from her on the coffee table.  
  
Angel, who was sitting next to her, furrowed his brow guiltily and dropped his gaze to his shoes. _Didn't I get the right one?_  
  
"I thought the pastrami was your favorite?" he asked.  
  
He heard Cordy release a weary sigh next to him. "It used to be. Before I got pregnant, at least."  
  
Angel darted his gaze up towards her in alarm. Was something wrong with her, or with the baby?  
  
Cordy's expression was contemplative. "Everything's just tasted off since I got pregnant." She gazed down at her slightly rounded stomach with fond, amused exasperation. "This kid has completely ruined my appetite."  
  
Angel remained completely still and silent, but his mind was swirling with panic. Did he need to take her to the hospital? Or was it something supernatural, something that the hospital couldn't even help? This was his baby, after all.  
  
Angel had been ecstatic when he initially found out about Cordelia's pregnancy. He wept with joy the first time he had heard the second heartbeat in her body. But as her pregnancy progressed, Angel's protective worry increased. He was a vampire, and this wasn't even technically possible. Wesley had been looking through the prophecies about Angel, but he hadn't found anything about a second child. On the one hand, that meant he hadn't found out something horrible. But on the other hand, he hadn't found an assurance that everything would be okay.  
  
Angel tried to stay optimistic, referring to the child as a miracle. Cordy seemed to take the unexplained pregnancy in her usual matter-of-fact stride, joking that Angel obviously had "super sperm" that bypassed the normal rules for vampires since he had also fathered Connor a year earlier.  
  
But it was hard at times like these to stay optimistic, when he saw the woman he loved suffering in any way. This was the first time Angel had ever truly dealt with the ups and downs of pregnancy, since Darla had showed up at his doorstep nine months pregnant, and sometimes, like now, it felt overwhelming.  
  
Cordy reached out to grab his hand. "Angel, look at me." He did, and he saw a mixed expression filled with sympathy and amusement on her face. "If you keep brooding like that, your face is going to get stuck that way."  
  
Angel almost smiled at her comment, but not quite. He was still worried. "Do you think you're sick?"  
  
She shook her head, and Angel's entire body relaxed in relief. "No. Well, not any more than is normal for a pregnant woman anyway. I guess it's either this or weird cravings."  
  
"Weird cravings?" he asked.  
  
"I haven't had them yet, but if I do, you shouldn't worry. It's also totally normal." She smirked. "Wait, scratch that. Since it's your kid, we should definitely worry if I start craving really rare steaks or something."  
  
Angel grinned. "I don't think we'll have to worry about that." The baby's heartbeat sounded strong, healthy, and _normal_. As long as everything continued to go well, Angel wasn't worried that she would give birth to a tiny vampire.  
  
His expression sobered as he reminded himself that she still hadn't eaten much for lunch. "Since the sandwich didn't work, did you want me to get something else?"  
  
She shrugged. "I'm not really hungry. I'm just kind of tired."  
  
Angel wrapped an arm around her, and Cordy leaned against his side. His hand lowered to rub soothingly over her stomach. "This pregnancy takes a lot out of you, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yeah, it does. But I wouldn't trade it for anything."  
  
"Me neither," Angel said softly. He was still a little awed that he was actually having a child with Cordelia. All of his dreams had come true, and his worrywart tendencies were only because he wanted to ensure that nothing could spoil that.  
  
He directed his attention to Cordy's stomach. "Hey, little one, how about you let your momma eat, huh?"

Cordy giggled. "That might be nice." She gasped when she felt the baby kick, and Angel felt it too. The sensation was just too wonderful for words.  
  
Cordy's gazed down at her stomach. "You won't let me eat, and now you're kicking me?" she mock-scolded. "Really?"  
  
Angel's smile threatened to break his face in half. "Should I be worried that our kid isn't even out of the womb yet and already isn't listening to me?"  
  
Cordy tipped her head back against the couch and laughed. The baby only kicked more in response.  
  
She turned her face to Angel, and her smile was even more dazzling than it usually was. "Just think about it, Angel. This kid is going to inherit _both_ of our stubborn streaks."  
  
That thought should have been terrifying, but Angel felt thrilled instead. The idea of a headstrong little brunette child with his and Cordy's features made his eyes watery. He stared down at Cordy's stomach in wonder, where the baby was still obstinately kicking, and thought that he couldn't wait to meet his son or daughter.  
  
Eventually, the baby settled down, and Cordelia sighed and lifted her hand to cover his on their stomach. They sat and enjoyed the tender, quiet moment together. The love they had for their baby and each other brought them to a state of blissful peace.


End file.
